Coin-freed power vending apparatus



Oct. 19, 1937. Moos 2,096,191

COIN-FREED POWER VENDING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 28, 1934 IN [/5 N TOR Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT Paul Moos, Zug, Switzerland, assigncr to Landis 7 & Gyr, A.-G., a corporation of Switzerland Application December 28, 1934, Serial No. 759,485.

In Switzerland February 2, 1934 13 Claims).

The invention relates to improvements in coinfreed vending apparatus, and more particularly to novel anduseful improvements in coin-controlled electricity metering devices.

Objects and advantages of, the invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities An object of the present invention is to pro- 7, vide improved power vending mechanism ca-' pacitated to dispense power on a combined or concurrently registering time rate and power consumption rate. vide an efiicient and. simplified mechanism in which complicated and expensive mechanisms are not required, and which avoids undesirable and heavy stresses and heavy wear of. the parts due to excessive movement and/or impact between parts of the mechanism. v'I'he invention further provides a coin controlled vending apparatus which registers the basic charge resulting from progressing the switch controlling mechanism. under the action of the time mechanism, the apparatus comprising a power storing and driving means acting on the switch controlling mechanism, said action being regulated and controlled by a time mechanism. Other objects and features of the invention will be described in connection with the following detailed description.

Referring now to the exemplary embodiment of the invention. illustrated in the accompanying drawing, a meter disc l is mounted on a spindle 2 which rotates in bearings .3 and t. The spindle 2, through gearing 5 drives shaft 6, which through gears 1' drives shaft 8. From shaft 8 a train of gearing 9 connects to a suitable registering deviceHL. j Y A suitable coin-controlledmechanism is provided, and ashaft 2| is freed for a predetermined 'A further object'is to pro-,

2'! which meshes with a gear 28, journaled loose- V ly on shaft'ZS. Integral with gear 28 is a sun Wheel 35, of a planetary gear. The other sun wheelv 3! is integralwith a gear wheel 32,'bo-th being freelyjournale'don shaft 29. Gear wheel 32 meshes with a gear wheel 33, which is integral with pinion l on shaft 8. Planet wheel 34 is journaled on arm .35 fixed to rotate with shaft 29. Thus the planetary gear is rotated in one direction by the coin-release mechanism proportional to the customer credit created, and inthe opposite direction by the meter disc 5. during the current consumption.

Referring now to the connections from the foregoing mechanism for operating and contro1l-. ing the switch controlling mechanism, a gear 4| is fixed on shaft 29, and meshes with a gear 42 fixed on shaft 43. a radially extending and angled arm i i having fixed thereto a detent tooth 45. Loosely sleeved on shaft 43 are a pair of escapement. gears 4'! and 48, which are fixed together and are offset angularly half the pitch of their teeth to effect an escapement action with the detent 45. Fixed to the gears ii and 48 to rotate therewith are two broad faced pinions 53 and 54, and fixed to these are a grooved and flanged wheel 55; the escapement wheels, the broad faced pinions and the grooved Wheel being integral and rotating freely together on shaft. 43. The'connections from the aforesaid mechanism to the setting mechanism comprises a shaft. 59, journaled in the frame and having-one end journaled loosely in the hubzof gear wheel 4!. Fixed on shaft59j isa gear 60, which meshes with broad facedpinion 53 and fixed on the other end of. shaft 59 is an arm 6|. Arm ti ,co-actswith bent arm 62 on shaft 63 of the switch controlling mechanism. By thismechanism arm 62 and shaft 63 are moved back by a coin being deposited and are permitted to advance by the connections to Fixed to the hub of gear i2 is Y 7 meter disc I according to the power consumed. The coin controlled mechanism and the switch i 7 control mechanism may be of any suitable form, andmechanism the same or similar to that shown 7 r v in Patent No. 1,799,276 may be employed.

In the embodied form' of time-controIled drive for the escapement mechanism just described,

a shaft 68 driven from the time'me'chanism,

' drives through worm gear 69' a vertically-disposed shaft lii."The lowerlend of shaft H1 projects into the groove in the wheel 55 and is offset to give a crank motion, so that as the shaft l6 7 is rotated by the .time -mechanism,'the grooved 1 half of the tooth pitch, an e'scapement' action wheels correspondingly to. the powerconsumed,

is effected in conjunction with detent 45. As shaft 3 is driven from the disc I, arm A l and detent d5 rotate about shaft G3, advancing the and the rotation of shaft Ill operates the escapement, the total advance of the Wheels 41,

58- and pinions 53, 54 oeing the sum of both these drives.

In accordance with one feature of the inven tion, driving means are provided for imposing a resilient or yielding forward drive on the wheels 41, 4a and pinions 53, 5d whereby they move forwardly under the concurrent drive of the meter disc and under the control of the time mechanism, said driving means being independent of the time mechanism. As embodied, the 'riving .means comprises a helical spring 16 which is connected to a toothed sector ll. Sector TI meshes with a pinion "I8 fixed on a shaft i9, and-agear wheel 80 is fixed on the shaft 19 and meshes with the broad pinion 54 to communicate the drive from spring 16 to the escapement mechanism, the group of mechanism which includes arm 44, gears 41, as and pinions 5 3 acting to control the spring drive in accordance with the movement of disc I and the time mechanism 68. I

Means are provided for counting the total number of coins deposited, and as embodied, a bevel gear 83 is fixed on the hub of gear 28, and meshes with abevel gear 84, which is part of the coin-counting mechanism; An indicating .device to show customer credit for coins deposited and customer debit on the time basis charge is provided, this mechanism including an indicator 8E driven through gearing 8'1 from .bevelgear Ellfixed on shaft 'I.9.= I The manner of operation is as follows:-When a coin is inserted and shaft ZLis correspondingly rotated, through gears 22, 23 shaft 26, gears 27, 28, sun wheel 3i! rolls planet wheel 34 a corresponding distance on sun wheel 3|, whereby through shaft 29 and intervening connections, arm and detent d5 rotate escapernent'wh-eels til, 48 and pinions' 53 54 backwardly a dis-' tance corresponding to the customer credit created by the coin deposited. At the same time through gear '69 and connections, including arms El and setting mechanism 63'is correspondingly moved backwardly'and the switch is closed.

Also? at the same time, through the gear con nections, driving spring 76 is wound.

Themeter disc I now drives sun wheel 3|,

which causes planet wheel 34% to roll on sun' I wheelSU, shaft 29 rotating therewith, and mov-. ing in the opposite direction from the previouslydescribedmovement imparted by the deposit of the coin. Gear 4i onshaft .29, drives gear 2. and rotates arm M and therewith gears $7 i-iiand .pinions 5.3 and 54'proportionately to the movement of disc I. From these, through the connectionsalreadydescribed, the setting mechanism also advances correspondingly to the power consumption.

.At thesame time, the time mechanism rotates shaft 68, which reciprocates the gears 41 and r and the basic charge will be recorded as a customer debit by the register 86.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of thejinvention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

' What I claim' is: a

controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means,

'a meter, a gear train between the meter and said 7 e .l. Aprepayment meter mechanism having coin a meter, a gear train between the meter and said j switch controlling means, means connected to said gear train andfactingto impel the gear train and controlling means towardswitch .opening position, an escapement mechanism: in said gear train, and connections from the time mechanism.

for actuating said escapement mechanism.

3. A prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in

combination power line switch controlling means,

a meter, a gear train between the meter and said.

switch controlling means, an escapement mechanism in said gear train, spring driven means 'acting on said gear train between said escapement mechanism and. said switch controlling means,

and connections from the time mechanism for actuating said escapement mechanism.

4. A prepayment meter mechanismhaving coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in

combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said 'meter and switch controlling means, power means for driving said gear train including a differential gear with one side in said train, gear connections from the coin controlled mechanism to the other, side of said differential gear, and an escapement mechanism in said gear train'betwee'nj said dif: ferential gear and switch controlling means and controlled by the timemechanism. I

5. A prepayment meter mechanism having com controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in

combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said meter and switch controlling means, including a differential gear with one side in said train, gear connectionsfrom the coin controlled mechanism to. the

other side of said differential gear, an escapement mechanism in saidgear train between said differential gear and switch controlling means, and spring driven means connected to said gear train between said diiferential gear and switch controlling means impelling the gear trainand 6. A prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means,

a meter, a gear train between said meter and switch controlling means, including a differential gear, and an escapement mechanism in said gear train between said differential gear and switch controlling means and controlled by the time mechanism.

7. A prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said meter and switch controlling means, including a differential gear with one side in said train, gear connections from the coin controlled mechanism to the other side of said difierentiaL'an escapement mechanism in said gear train between said differential and switch closing means, connections from the time mechanism for actuating said escapement mechanism, and a driving spring and gearing connected to. said gear train between said escapement and switch controlling mechanism.

8. A prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said meter and switch controlling means, power means for driving said gear train, an escapement mechanismin said gear train comprising. a double gear wheel having their teeth ofi'set angularly half the pitch of the teeth and a tooth fixed on a shaft in the train, and connections from the time mechanism for effecting relative reciprocatory movement between said gear wheel and tooth.

9. A prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mecha' nism, in combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said 7 meter and switch controlling means, an escapement mechanism in said gear train comprising a double gear wheel having the teeth of said double gear wheel being offset angularly half the pitch of the teeth and a tooth fixed on a shaft in the train, connections from the time mechanism for effecting relative reciprocatory movement between said gear wheel and tooth, a pinion wheel fixed to said double escapement gear wheel, gear connections from said pinion to said switch controlling means included in said train, and a driving spring and gear connections therefrom to said pinion.

10. A prepayment meter mechanism having having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said meter. and switch controlling means, power means for driving said gear train, an escapement mechanism in said gear train comprising a tooth fixed on a. shaft in said gear train, and

a double gear wheel having the teeth of said double gear Wheel being offset angularly half the pitch of the teeth, and means for reciprocating said double gear relatively to said tooth, said means being controlled by the time mechanism.

11. A prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said meter and switch controlling means including one sun wheel of a differential and an escapement mechanism, power means for driving said gear train, a time mechanism operating said escapement mechanism, and a gear train actuated from said coin controlled mechanism and including the other sun wheel of said differential for setting said switch controlling means.

12. A' prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said' meter and switch controlling means including one sun wheel of a differential and an escapement mechanism, a time mechanism operating said escapement mechanism, a gear train actuated from said coin controlled mechanism and including the other sun wheel of said differential for setting said switch controlling means, and spring means operating on said gear trains.

13. A prepayment meter mechanism having coin controlled mechanism and a time mechanism, in combination power line switch controlling means, a meter, a gear train between said meter and switch controlling means including one sun wheel of a differential and an escapement mechanism, a time mechanism operating said es capement mechanism, a gear train actuated from said coin controlled mechanism andincluding the other sun Wheel of said differential for setting said switch controlling means and for winding said spring and spring means operating on said gear trains. 7

PAUL MOOS. 

